


as long as the voice continues

by stingrcy



Series: as long as the road goes on [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Body Language, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, ManDadlorian, Nonverbal Communication, POV Second Person, Unreliable Narrator, [jake peralta vc] consequences..., funky narration style, hopefully not too funky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22363792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stingrcy/pseuds/stingrcy
Summary: Stop that,Tall-Dark-and-Shiny says with his Shine and Sounds and hands. He doesn’t saystop that or I will punish you, though — or evenstop that or I will get mad at you— so you just look up at him and smile.(Brief snippets of the Mandalorian, as seen through the Child’s eyes.)
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Series: as long as the road goes on [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638160
Comments: 55
Kudos: 370





	1. appreciation

**Author's Note:**

> three things:  
> i) i know literally nothing about star wars and it will show  
> ii) i am never writing at an appropriate time of the day / night and it _will show_  
>  iii) i am self-indulgent first and a human second

You like Shiniest. You like Shiniest a lot.

You like Shiniest when he sits with you. You like Shiniest when he looks at you. You like-like-LOVE Shiniest when he holds you.

You like-like-LOVE Shiniest _best_ when he makes Sounds.

He doesn’t have to; this is something you feel the both of you know. His Shine means more things to you than Sounds you can’t understand ever could, but Shiniest makes those Sounds-you-can't-understand anyway — like he’s saying, _I will make Sound to you even if you don’t know them because I like making Sound to you._ Like he’s saying, _I will let you know I am here even if you already know because I like letting you know I am here._

Like he’s saying, _I will do this thing for you because I like doing this thing for you because I like you._

(You like Shiniest. You like Shiniest a lot.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is post-"the sin" but pre-"sanctuary".
> 
> (i will never get over how din includes yodito in adorable, pointless, one-sided convos.)


	2. (potentially upsetting) musings

You don't know how long it takes for it to happen, but finally, the rumbling stops. Finally, the dark-cold-cutting Shines go away.  


(The quiet left behind is a very familiar thing. The way the Field changes is very familiar, too. It reminds you of falling metal; a gentle hello; a Shine with its own light; a firm-bright-warm-lovely _I will protect_ , and you know, then, that you are safe.)

The others-like-Shiniest come to let all of you out. Many of the others-like-you are still crying when this happens. Some of those who aren’t crying _start_ to when they see Their Shiniest. Even Gentle-Fun-Play who stopped when the rumbling stopped starts crying again when she sees Soft-Sounds.

It is a bit strange and a lot scary, this crying-crying-crying. You don’t like it. Everyone is being too loud and too _much_ , what if they’re punished? You don’t want them to be punished.

 _Calm_ , the Field tells you. _Don’t fear_ , the Field tells you, and you see that It is right, because the others-like-Shiniest don’t yell or hit or hurt. They only hum when another-like-you whimpers; hold close when another-like-you reaches; say _here-here-love-calm-here_ when another-like-you needs to hear it.

You wonder if Shiniest would comfort you like that if you cried. You wonder if Shiniest would hold you like that, make the gentlest Sounds like that, and radiate the softest, warmest, loving-est waves like that if you cried.

Then you think of past-cries in past-times, and you wonder if Shiniest would do nothing if you cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this takes place during "sanctuary".
> 
> (let's not.....think about how yodito probably-most-definitely internalised din's lack of outward reaction to his crying a la "the sin".)


	3. tall-dark-and(-fun)-shiny

There are many Things Tall-Dark-and-Shiny won’t do, you’ve found. Tall-Dark-and-Shiny won’t yell at you. Tall-Dark-and-Shiny won’t hit you. Tall-Dark-and-Shiny won’t pull your ears, or _bang!_ your shell, or squeeze you until it hurts, or make it _look_ like he will and then laugh when you get scared, or other Things that you thought he would maybe do even though the Field said he was safe-good-safe-kind because that’s what every past-one from every past-home you can remember did.

Even now, there is a Thing he won’t do.

“Stay,” he Sounds. You know this one means _don’t move_ , but it is a very strange _don’t move_. He is only pointing at you with a finger, not pushing you down with rough hands, and his Shine is saying _want to hide_ instead of _I will get mad if you don’t do this_. It is a new not-Thing. You like this new not-Thing.

 _No_ , you Sound back, because this is something — a not-Thing — you’ve learnt you can do with Tall-Dark-and-Shiny. You are quiet and tiny-scared and move back in your shell just in case this is the time he wants to punish you for it, but he doesn’t. He only nods _okay_ , presses something on his arm, and goes away.

Your shell doesn’t follow him, which is weird because you said _no_ and he said _okay_ to your no. Maybe Tall-Dark-and-Shiny actually said something else? You don’t know. You can still feel him in the Field even though you can’t see him anymore, so you think he is hiding like his Shine said he wanted to — which is also weird now that you’re thinking about it because what is he hiding from? You hide from things that make the Field scream _danger-danger-danger_ , but there is nothing that makes the Field scream _danger-danger-danger_ here, so what is he hiding from??

Another new not-Thing, except you’re not sure if you like this one.

You wait a bit before calling out to him. His Shine sparks in the Field, but he doesn’t come like you want him to. You call out again. Still, he doesn’t come.

Is he hiding from you?

That’s not right. You’re not something that makes the Field scream _danger-danger-danger_ , so why would he hide from you?

Is this a game?

Is this a game, Tall-Dark-and-Shiny?

You haven’t played with someone else in so long.

 _Play?_ You ask, louder than you would usually dare to make sure that he can hear you (and also because you are very eager-wanting-excited). You hope he doesn’t punish you for that, either. _This hiding-from-nothing, play? Tall-Dark-and-Shiny, play?_

You don’t know what the return-Sound he makes means. It’s loud as well but doesn’t sound sharp-angry-mad-annoyed, so you think maybe that means _yes_. You ask one last time, just to make _extra_ sure. _Tall-Dark-and-Shiny, play?_

 _Here, yes,_ his Shine answers. _Here-here, yes, here-here-here_ , it answers, and you can’t help it when your eagerness-want-excitement bubbles over into joy-joy-joy because you didn’t think Tall-Dark-and-Shiny would ever play games with you but he _is_ , this _is_ a game, this _is_ another new not-Thing that you like, yes yes yesyesyes!

 _Here_ , his Shine says again. _Here-here-here_ , his Shine invites again.

You nearly fall over from how quickly you climb out of your shell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> post-"the child" and pre-"the sin".
> 
> (din djarin, instinctive Good Dad trying to have some private time, unwittingly sealing his fate: I'M STILL HERE, KID. YES, I'M STILL HERE. YES, I'M STILL HERE. YES, I'M STI-)
> 
> ((yes, there will be a part two.))
> 
> ALSO, huge thanks for the kudos and comments, lovelies. i am. super insecure about this fic and my writing in general; the validation i've received from y'all is amazing. thanks a bunch xoxo


	4. at least

You don’t know why you are leaving this home. This home that both you and Shiniest like, with its blue skies and blue waters and blue fish. This home that both you and Shiniest want, with its nice others and nice warmth and nice Shines. Yes, there was danger for a tiny bit, and bigger danger for a tinier bit, but they went away — as all dangers, you are learning, do when you are with Shiniest.

You don’t know why you are leaving.

You _do_ know that good things never last, though, so you don’t ask why.

The mover you are on is very slow. It takes a while for your new past-home to become too far to see anymore, but you watch as it happens. You watch and try not to think about the way your chest feels like it’s being squeezed or the way your insides feel like they’re being thrown everywhere, because at least Shiniest is coming with you. If you had to choose between these two good things — between Strong-Friend and Soft-Sounds and Gentle-Fun-Play and Quick-Feet and all the nice others from the nice home or Shiniest — you would always-always-ALWAYS choose Shiniest.

(If you had to choose between _anything_ or Shiniest, you would always-always-ALWAYS choose Shiniest.)

 _I like you best_ , you tell him as you go over to his side, hands grabbing big folds of his blanket. _I like Shiniest best,_ you tell him as you lean into him and look up, chest hurting and hurting and hurting and hurting. _Stay_ , you tell him as you shake from a cold you know well, eyes heavy with a heat you know _too_ well. _Stay, stay, stay, stay._

He doesn’t make any return-Sounds. He doesn’t look back at you. He only breathes and says _grieving-aching-wanting_ with his Shine, softly. He only wraps a hand around you and holds you there against him, gently.

It is not the tight pull-in of your wanted home, but that is okay. It is not the rough push-away of your other past-homes, and that is better than okay.

It is the steady keep-here of your Shiniest, and that is enough.

He is enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> immediately post-"sanctuary".
> 
> (i'm due for two days of sleep but does din djarin know how much yodito loves him. does he understand that his son thinks many worlds of him. DOES HE)


	5. ingress

The one who meets you when your shell opens is like and not like the others that were here. He is tall like them, coloured dark like them, but he is also shiny in places they were not — Shiny in the way they were not. His head, all metal like the Empty one behind him, gleams in the light from above. His Shine, still steady ripples and faint murmurs, looks like it glows with a light of its own.

( _Good?_ You want to ask. You don’t actually — you don’t think you can handle pulled ears or loud yells or rough touches after all that rumbling — but the question prickles your mind all the same. _You, you, good?_ )

Tall-Dark-and-Shiny makes more Sounds. Like before, you don’t know what any of them mean, but that’s okay because his Shine does all the real talking for him. It says _surprised_ as he looks away. Says _confused_ as he looks back. Says _disbelieving_ as he tilts his head, as you push the last of your blanket down and Empty makes its return-Sounds.

You can’t tell what Empty is saying because of its no-Shine. You don’t think you need or want to when it moves and Tall-Dark-and-Shiny catches its metal, Sound short and sharp and _don’t do that_.

Empty turns its head to Tall-Dark-and-Shiny.

Tall-Dark-and-Shiny turns his head to Empty.

They make more Sounds at each other and again there is that thought: you don’t need or want to know what Empty is saying, especially when Tall-Dark-and-Shiny’s Shine stops saying _surprised-confused-disbelieving_ and starts saying _annoyed-confused-ready to fight-something_. You don’t know what the _something_ is because you don’t remember ever seeing it before, but it feels a bit like mad-for-someone-else. It feels a bit like _fear_ -for-someone-else.

Before you can figure it out, Empty pulls out of Tall-Dark-and-Shiny’s hold and points a thing at you. For a moment, it is just a thing, just a weird, maybe bad thing, until Empty’s metal goes _click!_ and the thing goes _whrrr_. Then, you know what it is.

Then, it really is a bad thing.

(You don’t want to be made Away. You don’t-don’t-don’t-DON’T want to be made Away. You don’t want to join the others that were here in the Field, you don’t want to be with Always-Close-By again, you don’t want to never see or feel or touch or _be_ , you don’t-don’t-don’t-DON’T want to be made Away…!)

The Field doesn’t scream _danger-danger-danger_. It doesn’t even hiss _careful_. It just swells with _calm-calm-calm_ , sings _no hurt_ , promises _keep safe_ , and you don’t know why or how It can say all of that when your insides are twisted and your chest is aching and everything feels hot with upset-sick-fear, but then the _something_ in Tall-Dark-and-Shiny’s Shine flares.

The Field quiets. Some of It wraps around him. _This one is, this one will_. It unwraps, and Tall-Dark-and-Shiny lifts his hand.

 _I will not hurt_ , his Shine says as Empty falls.

 _I will keep safe_ , it says as he leans closer.

 _I will protect_ , it says as he gives a finger in gentle greeting, waves firm and bright and warm and lovely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> during "the mandalorian".
> 
> (din, taking one (1) look at yodito: I Don't Want To Do This Job, Actually)
> 
> also, sorry for the delayed update! i'm sure this is nothing new plus of lower quality than usual, but i recently got back into fe3h and boy howdy wrow do i want to make an fe au lfksdjf
> 
> also also, come chat w me about din dadrin and his green-bean son on [tumblr](https://din-dadrin.tumblr.com/)!! please, ,, i am a lonely creature


End file.
